UK vineyard register

All vineyards larger than 0.1 hectares in size must be registered. Smaller vineyards must also be registered if they operate commercially. The wine regulations specify the data which must be gathered, including the area of the vineyard and the areas for different vine varieties grown. Annual harvest and production declarations are part of the Vineyard Register. The overall production figures are provided to the European Commission. We compile reports on vineyard data at the start of each wine 'marketing year' in August.

Commercial vineyards are sub-divided into growers without wine making facilities and wineries which make wine from their own production and from grapes processed under contract or purchased from other vineyards.

Registering a UK vineyard

You will have to register a new UK vineyard by using the application form and sending it to our Wine Standards team directly.

Vine plantings

The total area under vine in the UK including hobby and abandoned vineyards is approximately 1956 hectares. The productive area for the 2015 harvest is estimated to be approximately 1839 hectares.

The majority of commercial vineyard plantings are situated in South East England with approximately 1186 hectares under vine in Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight. There are approximately 235 hectares in the South West (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Kent contains the largest area under vine with approximately 311 hectares, followed by West Sussex with 290 hectares and then Hampshire with 230 hectares. Vineyards also extend into Essex and East Anglia, the Midlands, with some even further north. There are now almost 40 hectares of vines planted in Wales.

The main vine varieties grown in the UK are now dominated by the classic sparkling wine varieties, mainly Chardonnay (approximately 518 hectares) and Pinot Noir (approximately 483 hectares). The other classic sparkling varieties account for 194 hectares. The classic sparkling (PDO) varieties now make up over 60 % of the planted area within the U.K.

The longer established white varieties Bacchus, Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner and Muller-Thurgau account for approximately 374 hectares, around 20% of the total area.

2017 UK Vineyard list

England

Wine production

Each year Growers and Producers respectively complete Harvest Declarations and Production Declarations. The information gathered helps underpin the UK Quality Wine Schemes in respect of traceability, provides the industry with valuable information and enables the UK to submit formal declarations to the EU.

Production declarations should be submitted to us by the January deadline each year.

Just over 38000 hectolitres of wine were produced in 2015. The 2014 harvest was the largest ever with 48267.41 hectolitres of wine being produced. In comparison the 2012 harvest was disappointing.

Wines may be marketed as English (Welsh) Quality Wine (Protected Designation of Origin) or English (Welsh) Regional Wine (Protected Geographical Indication) if they meet analytical and tasting criteria and the verification checks of the producer’s winery records by the Wine Standards Inspectors are satisfactory.